Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted to concern about Manchester United’s “cartoon
cavalcade” defending after confirming that Nemanja Vidic will not be fit for
the Manchester derby on Sunday.

The United manager had said last week that the defender, who had knee surgery
in September, was on track to shore up a fragile defence that has conceded
21 goals in 15 Barclays Premier League games this season, one fewer than
they conceded in the entire 2007/8 league campaign.

But that now appears unlikely, despite the defender coming through training
unscathed at United’s Carrington training base today. “I do not think he